


an empire is nothing without its heir

by Daydreamer5187



Series: IronDad and SpiderSon [3]
Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Arc Reactor, Captivity, Character Death, Drowning, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt Tony Stark, Irondad Bingo 2019, Kidnapping, Merfolk AU, Near Death Experiences, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Self-Sacrifice, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Whump, car crash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-02-09 17:38:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18642877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daydreamer5187/pseuds/Daydreamer5187
Summary: Tony Stark just wants to love and father his surrogate son in peace. If people could just leave them alone to do that, that would be great.Chapter Six:The boy let out a terrified scream as he was yanked back, desperately trying to move a tail that wouldn’t move anymore. He’d never had his tail restrained before, it was terrible and it only added to the boy’s panic.“Mr.Stark!” Peter was being pulled away from his guardian too quickly, Mr.Stark wasn’t going to be able to catch him, but still he screamed for him. “Mr.Stark, please!”Tony was not going to lose his family all over again.





	1. arc reactor

“Mr.Stark, guess what,” the teenager excitedly chirped as the pair walked down the street. 

“Hmm… I don’t know, what?” 

“ _No,_ ” the kid whined, “you’ve gotta guess _yourself._ ” 

Despite his attempt at a stern glare Tony found himself smiling at his kid’s antics. “I don’t know kid, you’ve got me bamboozled.” 

Peter pouted, for about two-seconds, before breaking into his megawatt smile. “Two weeks ago you said that if I got an A on the Biology lab then you’d let me get a triple scoop ice cream. Well…” teenage hands rummaged around in his backpack, triumphantly removing a package of stapled together papers. “Look! 95%!” 

“Hey, look at that! Good job Underoos!” Tony grabbed Peter’s arms proudly, beaming at him. “A promise is a promise, let’s go get your ice cream.” 

It took way too much self-discipline for Peter to _notmountain of ice cream._ ” 

“Oh dear Lord, what am I signing myself up for later?” Tony groaned, secretly admitting to himself that he loved when Peter was on a sugar high (partly because his sugar crashes usually involved cuddles). 

“I’m _literally_ gonna be climbing the wall-” Peter’s happy tone cut off as abruptly as the kid did. Tony let out a grunt in surprise when Peter suddenly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. He knew what the look on the kid’s face meant. 

“Whoa, kid, you’re sure you’re okay?” 

“Something’s coming.” 

Which is when the first gunshot sounded. Tony reacted immediately, pulling Peter to the ground with him and rolling behind a nearby car as the street echoed with the hail of bullets. The gauntlet encased his hand and Iron Man burst into action. 

Peter reluctantly stayed behind the car that Tony had pushed him behind, too wary of revealing his identity to assist his mentor as he fought. 

And just because Peter worried didn’t mean Tony was any less _badass_ , he was frickin Iron Man after all. And he was kicking ass. 

Their attackers were dropping like flies as the repulsers fired over and over again, barely able to fire their own shots before ducking for cover. Nothing could stop him, nothing that is, except for Peter Parker’s cry of pain. 

Evidently, they knew that too, because before Tony could stop them one had turned his gun towards the child and fired his shot. 

Peter felt the bullet tear apart the muscles of his leg and he screamed. It was enough for Tony to lose concentration on the fight. 

“Kid!” Peter replied with a pained grunt, verging on another shout. “Kid, talk to me. Are you okay?” Tony was trying to concentrate but he couldn’t, not when he couldn’t see what happened to Peter.

“I’m okay Mr.Stark!” The kid replied, obviously very not okay. “They just- Hey!” Peter’s voice tinged with panic as he abruptly cut off his sentence. Tony wanted to look but he couldn’t because he knew the moment he looked would be when these goons took their chance and he might not be able to deflect it. 

The heavy _thud_ of a body hitting the car was too much for Tony, his head whipped back of its own volition. 

It was worse than what he’d imagined. Peter, stuck in a chokehold by one of the men, his legs kicking frantically in the air as he struggled to knock him away. The kid could level them all if he wanted to but he was holding back. 

Tony worked to get back towards Peter, unable to fire a repulser blast with the kid so close, but had the problem of the other cronies getting in his way.

And then his captor was pulling out a syringe and jamming it in his neck and Tony forgot how to breathe. Peter’s struggles slowly died until he was lax in the masked man’s arms. 

A gun was pulled, the others stopped shooting at Iron Man. 

“You want the kid’s brains to stay in his head? You take off the suit and come with us.” 

Tony didn’t hesitate. The suit disassembled around him and he exited with his hands above his head. “There’s no need to hurt him, let’s just talk.” 

“We’ll have plenty of time to talk later, Stark.” 

Someone gripped the back of his hair and shoved a sweet-smelling cloth against his nose and Tony knew no more. 

…

When he woke up he felt murky, murky and like the light was burning him. _Drugs,_ he knew the after effects well, whether through his party days or situations like this, Tony Stark knew what a drug hangover felt like. 

Absolute shit, thats what it felt like. 

The groan alerted his captors that he was indeed awake, graciously they slammed the door open as hard as they could. 

“For fuck’s sake, could you not?” Tony hissed, wincing as the sound grated against his already sensitive ears. 

“Charmed,” came the suave reply. Tony could imagine the smirk, he hated it already. “But I’d watch your mouth from now on.” 

“And why is that?” 

“M’ster St’rk?” Tony’s eyes flew open immediately, despite the fact that it felt like ice picks were being driven into his corneas. 

“Kid,” he whispered, ice filling his veins. 

Peter came to coherence much faster than Tony did, his metabolism burning through the drugs like lightning. His wrists jerked once, testing the restraints, before he settled and began taking deep breaths, eyes still closed. 

“Yes, we took the liberty of finding another space for young Peter, the opportunity was just too good to pass up.” 

Tony grit his teeth. “Leave him alone.” 

“I find it fascinating,” their captor continued without missing a beat, “that _this_ boy could have sparked the interests of _the_ Tony Stark. Is there a particular reason?” 

Tony stayed silent, opting instead to study his kid. Peter’s face was scrunched as if on pain. If Tony’s eyes were hurting from the drugs he couldn’t imagine how Peter must be feeling. 

“Is it because he’s enhanced?” That got the inventor’s attention. “Yes, well, we may not all be Tony Starks but we certainly notice when a bullet wound heals within hours.” 

_Oh God, he’d forgotten that the kid had been shot. Tony was right there, and he did nothing to stop Peter from being hurt. He was_ right there.

“Don’t touch me.” Peter’s voice snapped Tony away from his reverie. The man, he really needed to learn his name, was reaching his hand out to touch Peter’s cheek. 

“Hey!” Tony called, desperate to bring attention back to himself. “I don’t like being forgotten, asshole.” To his relief, the man retracted his hand. 

“Evidently.” 

“So what’s the deal this time? Money? Information? Inventions?” Tony’s eyes followed as the man crossed the room, retrieved a chair, and sat facing him. 

“Pleasure, Mr.Stark, just pleasure.” And if that wasn’t the most terrifying answer he could have been given. 

“I make it a point of knowing all my pleasure partners’ names.” He earned himself a coy smile. 

“I’m sure you do… You can call me Malcom.” Malcom was a surprisingly mundane name. “And like I said, this isn’t all about you Tony Stark, as want as you are to believe the world revolves around your feet.” 

“I’m sure I can help you with whatever you need.” 

“It’s not about what we need, it’s about seeing if you’ll do what _he_ needs.” Malcom stood up and Tony felt true unadulterated _terror_. 

“What does that mean?” He strained against his bonds as he watched the man approach Peter slowly, a sinister smile on his face. “Don’t touch him.” 

Peter bared his teeth at Malcom. “Back off,” he hissed. He tugged on the cuffs again, and Tony hoped for a second that they would snap, but they didn’t. 

“They’re Vibranium, Spider-Baby.” 

Tony and Peter shouted at the same time. 

“Don’t call me that!” 

“Don’t call him that!”

Malcom quirked an eyebrow. “Hit a nerve did I? Is that some sort of pet name for you two?” 

He advanced again, this time managing to grab ahold of Peter’s head. The teenager jerked his head away and bit at the soft palm of Malcom’s hand, smirking triumphantly at the man’s pained shout. The punch landed squarely against Peter’s cheekbone. 

Tony’s eyes widened but he said nothing, sitting taut against his chair instead. 

Malcom tutted, delivering another punch for good measure. 

“Brat,” he spat, wiping the blood running down Peter’s cheek against his skin. “He’s a feisty one, Stark. I hope you can save him.” 

“What do you mean by that?” There was obvious fear in the inventor’s voice as Malcom withdrew something from his suit. He opened up a little case, took something out of it, and displayed it to Tony. “What is that? What are you doing?”

Malcom plunged the syringe into Peter’s neck. 

Peter gasped in surprise and then in pain. His body floundered against the chair he was restrained against, gasping and groaning in pain; it hurt Tony just to watch.

“What did you do to him,” he screamed, well aware of the blood streaking down his wrists. 

“An enhanced muscle constrictor,” Malcom explained casually, “it’s quite unpleasant I hear, excruciating even.” He undid Peter’s cuffs, not making a move to stop the teen as he collapsed to the floor. “It’s slowly making it’s way through his muscles, tightening them till they cannot move. Imagine the worst muscle contraction you’ve ever had, and amplify it by ten. That’s how this feels…” 

Tony watched Peter fight back his screams, feeling his own heart shatter at the sight. 

Malcom was close enough to wrap his fingers around Tony’s shoulders now, doing so and leaning in to whisper in his ear, “imagine how that must feel, what it will _do_ , once it gets to his heart.” 

Tony’s eyes widened and his struggles began anew. 

Peter unclenched his eyes and whipped his head around to face Tony. The pain was there, but so was the trust and the adoration Tony knew and loved from the kid. Tony caught that gaze and held it, held it and tried to convey what he couldn’t say in words. 

_It’s okay, it’s okay, we’re going to get out of here. The pain will stop soon, just hold on._

Peter nodded, once, before his eyes screwed up in pain and he was half convulsing, half floundering, against the concrete floor. 

He couldn’t breathe, Tony knew the feeling. 

In the blink of an eye, Peter stopped moving, stopped groaning, stopped _everything_ and Tony absolutely panicked. 

“It reached his heart, he’s dead.” _No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no._ Malcom’s fingers wrapped around Tony’s wrists, unshackling them from the chair. “Do what you have to do to get his body to relax and his heart will start beating. Don’t worry if you can’t do it, we’ll still let you go.” Their captor smirked, walking away from the scene and observing his experiment. 

The inventor scrambled from his chair, rushing to pick up Peter and check for a pulse. Malcom wasn’t lying, he wasn’t breathing and his heart had stopped pumping. He started CPR and rescue breaths immediately, even though the little voice in the back of his head told him how useless it would be. 

“Every minute you waste doing that is another minute the kid stays dead.” Tony glared at the owner of the voice. “You need to make his muscles _relax._ Do you know anything about how the body responds to electrocution?” 

“I don’t have anything to-!” Tony’s sentence died abruptly. His head jerked towards his arc reactor. _Oh._

“Yes, so, you must make a choice. You need that reactor to keep the shrapnel away from your heart, don’t you?” 

Before Malcom had even finished his sentence Tony was ripping the arc reactor away from his chest. It crackled with electricity and bursts of pain and hopefully Peter’s life. 

The billionaire couldn’t help the tendrils of panic he felt as he held the reactor in his hand. He couldn’t help that he flashed back to Siberia, to Obadiah, to Cap with his shield raised- but Peter was dying, so Tony would just have to panic and help him at the same time. Without further ado, Tony pressed the reactor against Peter’s chest. 

The current of electricity threw the inventor backwards, he got right back up and did it again. 

Malcom watched from the corner, fascinated. 

“C’mon buddy, c’mon,” Tony whispered under his breath, prepping the reactor for another round. “C’mon!” 

He went flying again. 

It hurt, but not as much as thinking about letting die Peter did. 

He went flying again. 

But this time, Peter coughed and then groaned in pain. Tears began to slip from the teen’s face as the all encompassing pain took hold again, but he was _alive._

Tony gasped in relief, sitting back on the palm of his hands and just breathing with Peter. The boy was in far too much pain to speak, but his eyes opened, took in his surroundings, took in the burn in his chest and the massive amounts of adrenaline flooding his system. Peter saw the reactor laying lamely next to him, and not in Tony Stark’s chest. 

“Good show Stark, but remember, we now know just to what lengths you would do for that boy, keep him close while you can.” 

Tony watched Malcom warily as he pushed himself up from leaning against the wall, sauntering towards the pair. The inventor scooted backwards and pressed Peter into his chest. 

“You said you’d let us go.” 

“And never let it be said I’m not a man of my word. Go. Scram.” He gestured towards the closed door, signalling someone to unlock and open it with a screech. 

Tony hastily replaced his reactor, which was still spitting sparks and flickering with its own exertion, and scooped up the teenager. He wasted no time rushing away from the building they found themselves in. 

As soon as he hit the sunlight F.R.I.D.A.Y. was online, saying something about an ETA and emergency services. 

Tony didn’t care, he kept running, all too aware of the teenager in his arms. 

_Keep him close while you can._

_Oh, don’t worry, I am._


	2. gala

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I don't really belong here, do I?" 
> 
> If Tony had been driving the car would have come to an abrupt stop. Whatever he was expecting that was the last thing on the list. 
> 
> Tony takes Peter to his debut gala, on the way there he must step up and be DadTM when Peter voices some of his anxieties. He loves his kid, and goddammit Peter and the world was going to know it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second chapter! I hope you guys like this one too! This one is fluffy because I don't ONLY do angst. XD This is [my Tumblr](https://day-dreamer176.tumblr.com) if you'd like to check me out. Thanks so much for reading this, have a wonderful day!

Peter played with the cuff of his suit nervously, stretching the designer fabric away from his wrist. Tony caught the movements from the corner of his eye, a smile tugging on the inventor’s lips. The glide of the elevator was almost non-existent, and yet Peter was shifting around.

“What’s up, Underoos? Not used to something that doesn’t have geeky puns on it?” 

“It’s _itchy_ , Mr.Stark.” 

“It’s an Armani suit, it’s not _itchy._ ” 

“Well, how do _you_ know? You’re not in the suit,” the teenager grumbled, still messing with the cuff. 

“What was that?” Tony replied sternly, quirking an eyebrow up challengingly. 

“Nothing, nothing,” Peter was quick to respond, a flush coming to his ears. 

They were headed to a charity gala, urging world leaders to switch to clean energy. Tony deemed it interesting enough to make a personal appearance, and safe enough that he could debut Peter. 

Peter had made a fuss about having nothing to wear, so Tony bought him the suit. And now look where they were; teenagers, they aren’t grateful for anything. 

“Well you can’t be messing around with it all night, so new rule: once we get to the car there will be no more fussing with our attire.” 

“Why do you always get to make the rules up?” 

“Because I’m the master and you the padawan.” 

The pair exited the elevator, Tony with his hand on Peter’s back as they made their way to the limo. 

“Where’s the regular car?” Peter’s lips pulled into a frown, his eyes shifting around looking for Happy and the usual Audi he rode in. 

“It’s a classy event kiddo, limos are the standard.” 

“More classy than an _Audi_?”

“More classy than an Audi. Hop in.” Peter reluctantly did as he was told, followed by a confused Tony Stark. 

Peter had been excited for this all week, chirping about what he would say and how he would (try to) style his hair, and all the speeches he was excited for. Now, he was kicking a fuss about everything from the moment he’d started to get ready to now. 

“ _Are_ you okay, kid?” Peter glanced up and met the concerned eyes of his mentor and felt the tendrils of guilt take the place of his fear. 

“I’m fine Mr.Stark, I’ll be good when we get there.” 

“We don’t have to go if you don’t want to.” Peter was _not_ going to be the reason that Tony’s name was all over the tabloids again, talking about how he was irresponsible and selfish. 

“No! I want to go, I do.” Tony didn’t seem to assured, but he didn’t pull the limo over, so that was a win. Peter started playing with his suit again, nervous musings twisting their way into his head. 

“‘Cause, to be honest, I never liked doing these things. They’re no fun when everyone is sober and rich.” Peter chuckled, garnering a smile from his mentor. His smile soon fell, to the dismay of the inventor. “Hey, what’s with the long face Underoos?” 

“Nothing, I’m fine.” 

“Nuh-uh, I know you Spider-Baby, want to try again?” 

Peter sighed, “it’s just, well, I don’t really belong at these things do I?” 

If Tony had been driving the brakes would have squealed into an abrupt stop. Out of all the things that the billionaire had been expecting, that was the last on the list. 

“Peter Benjamin Parker.” Peter gulped, this was a full name affair. “You are absolutely right.” Peter’s crestfallen face whipped upwards, expecting Tony to be staring at him with a disapproving gaze. Instead, he found rarely seen bottom-of-his-heart sincerity. “And that is why you are better than each and every one of us.” 

Peter furrowed his brow in confusion. “What…?” 

“All of us who grew up with silver spoons, we don’t know sincerity and kindness the way you do, kid. We grow up trying to hide ourselves from the cameras and the blue-bloods and sometimes lose ourselves in the process. You’ve never hidden who you are a day in your life, and , I don’t want you starting now. You _deserve_ to be coming to this gala, and if you really don’t like it, we’ll leave.” 

Peter broke into a smile. Tony shifted so his arms were around the teen’s shoulders, Peter didn’t move until - “This one’s a hug, kid, I think we’re there.” 

Peter’s arms whipped around and met the inventor’s waist. “Thanks Mr.Stark,” he whispered. 

Tony pulled away as he felt the limo slow. “Alright Buddy, let’s go blow them all away.” 

Peter took a shaky breath, nodded his head, and followed his mentor out of the car. 

Camera flashes assaulted his eyes immediately and voices started calling for Tony coming from everywhere. He felt the grounding hand of the mechanic press against his back and guide him from all the chaos. 

“They’re like vultures, but they’re vultures we have to endure, just try to smile,” Tony murmured into his ear. Peter watched as Tony smiled charismatically, and waved, and was every bit the suave superstar Peter had idolized as a child. 

But he didn’t idolize the superstar anymore, he loved Tony Stark, the mechanic. And he understood what he’d been saying in the car now, about hiding. 

“Tony, who did you bring tonight?” One of the reporters shouted just a bit louder than the rest. Everyone was asking him the same thing, _who was this teenager?_

Tony stopped and the world waited. “This is the star of Stark Industries, my protege, Peter. When I retire, he will be inheriting everything.” 

The reporters went absolutely mad, frantically yelling after Tony as he and Peter made their exit. Peter followed Tony, wide-eyed and silent, as they entered the gala hall. All the teenager could think was, _Oh. I didn’t know that._

...

Tony smirked while Pepper shook her head as they watched the latest episode of TMZ; 

**“Tony Stark’s Illegitimate child, fact or fiction?”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awwwww they own all my UwUs 
> 
> Tell me what you guys thought of this, maybe tell me when/how frequently I should update?? I'm honestly really flexible with this one since most of the chapters are written already. The comments really encourage me and I appreciate them so much! Love to you all! 
> 
> [Check me out on Tumblr!](https://day-dreamer176.tumblr.com)


	3. car crash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter’s senses didn’t even have a chance to go haywire as the car suddenly slammed to a stop. Tony’s arm slammed into his chest, pushing him away from the shattering windshield. The horn blared from the car that had pulled in front of them; lost control because of the rain. Peter felt the car continuing to move, a nauseating pause as it flipped over before a crushing force slammed into his chest. 
> 
> It felt like he was being put through a blender. And it wasn’t stopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can never stay away from angst all too long... ah well, c'est la vie. Thank you everyone for reading this trash pile of IronDad I call my bingo card, it means a lot. If you would like to check out my Tumblr [click here!](https://day-dreamer176.tumblr.com)

_Wow I am so screwed._

^Peter’s first thought upon getting into the car with a very miffed Mr.Stark. The teenager pulled off his mask and gave him a hopefully unassuming and innocent grin, his shoulders raising into a shrug. Rain pounded against the window shield aggressively. 

“Oh, don’t give me that look, Spider-Idiot, you look like a wet rat and I am not impressed.” The tires squealed away from the curb, punctuating the mechanic’s ire. 

“But Mr.Stark-”

“Save it,” Tony hissed, his heart thundering to the same beat as the rain outside, “you should know better than to be patrolling in this.” 

“Crime doesn’t stop because it’s raining out,” Peter huffed. Instinctively, he wanted to shiver, but he knew that that would definitely not help his case. “I’m sorry I asked you to pick me up, I know I should have-”

“I’m going to stop you right there. I am _not_ angry that you called me, alright? You need a ride? That’s fine, I’ll come and pick you up from wherever. What I am just a little bit annoyed about is that it is _midnight_ and it has been pouring for _hours_ and you just called me now.” 

“I could have walked home.” 

“Would you shut up and listen to what I’m saying? _I don’t care that you called me._ What I care about is that you have been in the freezing rain for at least four hours!” Peter shifted uncomfortably trying to focus on anything outside the window. 

He really didn’t mean to stay out so late, he just lost track of time. And he knew that he wasn’t supposed to be out in bad weather (he got sick once) but the heater was on and like he said, he didn’t mean to be out for so long. 

“You’ve gotta be more careful kid,” Tony’s voice softened, his initial anger leaving him. “We already know that your body has more trouble thermoregulating than someone who isn’t enhanced.” 

“The heater was on.” 

“We don’t know if that’s enough, don’t think I don’t see you shivering.” Peter grinned at him sheepishly, Tony sighed. What did he do to deserve this kid? “You wear boxers in the suit?” 

The question caught the superhero off guard. “W-what?” 

“Boxers, in the suit, are you wearing them?” 

“Yeah…?” 

“Good. Take off the suit, it’s just making you colder at this point. There’s a bag in the back seat with a clean change of clothes.” 

“ _What?_ ” Peter’s cheeks flushed as his voice rose about two octaves. He made a conscious effort to lower it as he continued. “No!” 

To Peter’s further embarrassment, Tony chuckled at his attempt. “Calm down, I just don’t want a hypothermic child to deal with when we get home. I won’t look.” 

And despite how much Peter wanted to stomp his foot and refuse, he had to admit, the heater wasn’t doing shit anymore, he was really, really cold. And Mr.Stark had seen him out of the suit when he had to patch him up before, it was no big deal. Didn’t mean his ears didn’t burn red the entire time he had to shimmy into his new set of joggers and a t-shirt. 

“Feel better Underoos?” Tony glanced out the side of his eye once he felt Peter stop moving around, his anger mostly dissipated. Teenagers do dumb shit, at least this one was just being dumb and not utterly stupid like Tony had been. 

“Yeah,” the kid sighed, relaxing into his heated seat. He hadn’t known that that was on. 

“Don’t think we’re done talking about this. You’re grounded.” 

“What? Mr.Stark!” Peter protested, suddenly not so relaxed anymore. 

“One more word out of you and I call Aunt May and tell her you didn’t show up for movie night.” 

Peter closed his mouth. 

“Good choice ki- Shit!” 

Peter’s senses didn’t even have a chance to go haywire as the car suddenly slammed to a stop. Tony’s arm slammed into his chest, pushing him away from the shattering windshield. The horn blared from the car that had pulled in front of them. Lost control because of the rain. Peter felt the car continuing to move, a nauseating pause as it flipped over before a crushing force slammed into his chest. 

It felt like he was being put through a blender. And it wasn’t stopping. 

 

 

Until it did. Peter almost didn’t believe it, he didn’t think he knew what being still meant anymore. But then the pain hit, a bone-crushing ache that pounded through his entire body. Something warm trickled behind Peter’s ear; he realized with startling clarity that it was probably blood. 

“M’ster St’rk?” He murmured, trying to lift his head enough to get a look at his mentor. He got no reply. “M’ster St’rk?” He was a little more panicked now. “Mister Stark!” 

Mr.Stark had never failed to answer Peter before, but he did now. The teenager’s Spidey senses tingled, alerting him to further danger. Whatever it was, it didn’t bode well for the pair.

“C’mon M’ster S’ark, we gotta go…” Peter’s limbs felt like they were lead, but he still tried to move them. Sluggishly, the boy got his seatbelt to release, and then kicked out the mangled car door. He barely had the energy to move, but he somehow had energy enough to collapse out of the car. Agony pierced his arm, despondently he surmised that it was broken. “C’mon M’ster Stark…” he urged. 

But his mentor didn’t move, he didn’t even moan. 

“M’ster S’tark…” Peter tried again, “we gotta go…” 

Panicking fingers tore their way up the car, pulling Peter into a semi-upright position. The blood and the rain cleared away from his vision, and the teenager suddenly realized what was so _wrong_.

Blood trickled down from Tony’s forehead, it soaked his arm where glass had shattered into it, soaked his chest just the same. He was bruised, battered, his head lolling forward, but worst of all, he wasn’t breathing, and Peter couldn’t hear his heartbeat. 

_No, this couldn’t be happening, this couldn’t be happening._

“Mr.Stark” the child wailed, throwing himself towards his mentor. The sight of his dying (dead) mentor was enough to clear the fog from Peter’s head. “Friday…?” There was no answer, she was offline. 

_Wait. Peter was being so stupid, he has an AI too._

The teen hero desperately grappled in the backseat for his mask, feeling a burst of relief when his fingers made contact with the fabric. 

“Karen, I need- I need help. Mr.Stark, he’s-he’s-”

_“It appears you have been in a vehicular accident, Peter,”_ Karen’s soothing and assured voice cut over him. _“You have sustained a fracture in your right ulna and a mild concussion. Tony Stark’s emergency services are on their way.”_

“Karen, what about Tony? He isn’t breathing!” 

_“It appears the force of the crash has caused Mr.Stark to go into traumatic cardiac arrest. Immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation is advised. No spinal injuries detected.”_

CPR, right, why didn’t he think of that? Peter knew how to do CPR, he should have done it the moment he realized Mr.Stark was- 

He was out of the car and hauling Mr.Stark away from the carcass in the next breath. 

_“Careful Peter, your strength could crush his chest cavity. I will guide you through it.”_ Peter didn’t think he’d ever been more grateful for Karen than in that moment. _“You need to break his ribs, but only on the first compression, then let up.”_ A green indicator appeared on Tony’s chest. _“Right here, if you apply too much pressure this indicator will go red.”_

Peter might have thrown up at the feeling of Tony’s ribs giving way under his hand, if not for the adrenaline and panic pulsing through his blood. Karen’s voice grounded him as she confidently lead him. 

_One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine ten,_  
And one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, twenty,   
And one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and thirty, 

_Two breaths._

_Again Peter._

_Again Peter._

_Again Peter._

_Again Peter._

By the time help came Peter was sobbing from exertion and pain, his arm screaming in agony, his mind screaming in anguish. 

Happy and Rhodey were first. War Machine’s thrusters landed right beside Peter while the telling squeal of tires followed close behind. Peter noticed them but didn’t stop his compressions. 

“Kid, kid!” Peter’s head whipped to meet Rhodey’s concerned gaze. “Let me switch in.” Peter shook his head. “The medical team is on their way, you’re exhausted, I can do it.” 

Frantic footsteps ran towards them, Peter had never seen Happy run before. “How you doing kid?” Peter didn’t know how to respond so he didn’t. “You did a good job, but I need you to let Rhodey take over now, he’s going to do his best to save Tony too. Okay?” 

Peter’s eyes flickered between the two men, and then back to Mr.Stark. He knew that he could trust them. Reluctantly, he tore himself away from the prone form and launched himself at Happy, unaware of how much he just needed to scream until he was doing it into the bodyguard’s chest. 

“You did good kid, you did good.” Happy awkwardly held the kid, all too aware of the sirens getting closer and closer. “We’re going to get this mask off of you, there are people coming who can’t see it.” Peter felt the mask slip away from his hair. The rain pounded against his head and it was only then that he realized he was soaking wet, again. “Alright, let’s get you into the car.” 

“But… Mr.Stark…” 

“Wouldn’t want you catching your death out here. I’m going to take us back to the Tower, that’s where he’s going too. It’ll be okay.” 

Again, too exhausted to resist, Peter complied. He missed the look that Happy and Rhodey shared as he stumbled towards the car. 

The medics arrived, saw him; Peter had a growing appreciation for Happy’s rarely seen wisdom. They saw the broken arm, Happy almost fought one to allow Peter entrance to the car. 

The last thing he saw before the car peeled away was the medic’s surrounding Mr.Stark, but the last thing he heard wasn’t a heartbeat. 

… 

Tony woke up to the too familiar sound of a heartbeat. His heartbeat, if how sore he was was any indicator. Rhodey was stirring next to him, having fallen asleep on the chair. 

“I feel like I was hit by a truck,” Tony mumbled. 

“You were,” Rhodey replied, his mouth tipping upwards into a relieved smile. “Well, technically, not, but you were in a car accident.”

Tony nodded in acceptance before his eyes widened in fear. “Peter-!”

“Is okay,” the colonel reassured, gently pushing Tony’s shoulders back. “But you made sure of that, didn’t you?” 

“Wha…?” Tony relaxed only because Rhodey would never lie to him. (Even when he tried Tony could aways tell.) 

“Your arm was torn to shreds, glass everywhere, up your _entire arm_ , almost like you…” Rhodey outstretched his arm, demonstrating the shield-like motion Tony recognized as an instinct. 

“I didn’t think, I just did it.” 

“You kept him safe, Tones, you did great.” Tony recognized Rhodey’s MamaBear look, the little glint of worry in his eye. 

“Was he hurt?” 

“Broken arm, mild concussion. It could have been much worse, would have been, if it weren’t for you. You, on the other hand, did it your dammed best to kill me.” 

“Aw, were you worried for me?” Rhodey tried to smile at his friend’s teasing, but the image of Tony, motionless on the pavement invaded his mind. 

“You _died_ , Tony. Your chest went into the steering wheel, caused Sudden Cardiac Arrest. When we found you two the kid was giving you CPR, saved your life.”

Tony sighed, “the kid saw me like that?” 

“I just told you that your _heart stopped_ , and you’re worried about the kid?” 

“Occupational hazard.” 

Rhodey smiled. “Parent-hood. He was pretty upset, I can go get him so you two can talk.” Which translated into: _you’re going to talk right now._

“Bring him in.” Tony closed his eyes, just for a few seconds, but when he opened them again there was an enhanced teenager sitting in the bedside chair, rocking anxiously. “Hey Bud, heard we didn’t exactly get to start the movie.” 

“Mr.Stark!” Peter sounded so relieved, yet still so worried and scared, and so so young. “I-I’m so sorry! If I hadn’t called you then you wouldn’t have been hurt and-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down Underoos. This is not your fault.” Tony struggled to sit up, growing more and more frustrated with the hospital bed he found himself in. Peter helped him up gently. 

“But if I hadn’t needed a ride-”

“It was an _accident_ , Peter.” The full use of his name caught the teenager’s attention. “It was no one’s fault, not mine, not yours, not even the other car. We can yell at Thor for a bit if you want, but even I don’t think that will help.” Peter laughed flatly. “Repeat it back to me.” 

“What?” 

“Say ‘it was no one’s fault.’” 

“It was no one’s fault.” 

“Again.” 

“It was no one’s fault.” 

“Again.” 

_Again Peter._

“It was no one’s fault.” 

“You saved my life.” 

“I saved your life.” 

“You know the drill.” 

“I saved your life.” 

“One more time.” 

“I saved your life.” 

“Yes, you did. I wouldn’t be alive if you hadn’t reacted exactly the way you did. Don’t ever forget that Spiderman is not some alter ego, Spiderman is Peter Parker, and Peter Parker is a hero.” 

Tears rushed to the teen’s eyes, hitching his breath as he tried to reply. “Mr.Stark, I was so scared,” he cried. 

Tony opened his arms, urging the teen to let him wrap him into a hug. 

“But…” Peter sniffled, “your ribs… I _felt_ them break.” 

“I’m never going to be too sore to hug you, _bambino_. C’mere.” 

Rhodey walked in on the pair a few hours later, sleeping peacefully side by side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean, I can't always stay away from fluff either... and these two deserve their cuddles, goddammit. 
> 
> Please tell me what you think, of the board in general, of this specific chapter, anything at all. Comments honestly make my day and feed my muse. UwU I hope you all have a wonderful day and I hope you enjoyed the story! 
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://day-dreamer176.tumblr.com)


	4. drowning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The green button will make your tank fill faster. The blue will make your counterpart’s fill faster. The red will stop your counterpart’s tank from filling. Once one is pushed it cannot be overridden by the opposite tank. Once one tank fills completely the other will automatically release after two minutes. Escape your cuffs and you can make the choice of who lives and who dies, don’t and you both die together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I will, at some point, upload at a time that isn't two in the morning. Until then, please enjoy this ill timed chapter. It's my favourite that I've done for the bingo card thus far :) 
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://day-dreamer176.tumblr.com)

The room was dark and cold, and the air was sticky and thick. The only source of light was an eerie glow coming from the two tanks in the middle of the chamber, which were both connected to a jungle of wires and machinery. The room was silent. 

Until the person in the tank woke up. Well, one of them. 

There were two, both confined to a separate tank. 

The older of the two woke up first, taking in the cold metal pressing against his chest, the confining space, the handcuffs attaching him to the ground, his drugged mind struggling to comprehend his situation. Then Tony Stark saw Peter Parker in the same predicament and the fog suddenly cleared. 

“Kid!” The inventor shouted, hoping desperately that this was some kind of dream. He tugged uselessly on the handcuffs, which held true. He checked his wrist, the watch predictably removed. He was trapped. “Kid, wake up!” 

Teenage eyes blinked blearily back at Tony, confusion evident there. “Mr.Stark,” he mumbled, his heading cocking upwards like a questioning puppy, “where are we?”

“I don’t know Bud, but we’ll figure it out. We’ll get out.” 

Peter scooted so he was sitting up and not sprawled against the bottom of the tank. He tested his handcuffs too, Tony watched on and foolishly hoped that their captors wouldn’t know about his super strength, but to no avail. 

“Mr.Stark?” 

“Yes, Pete?” 

“I don’t like small spaces.”

 _Oh. Right._

“I know kid, how you doing with that one?” The mechanic eyed his ward worriedly, trying to comfort him with his voice alone.

“I’m okay…” Tony could sense the lie in the child’s voice, how it quavered and questioned its own words. Peter was scared. 

“Just take some deep breaths for me, we’ll be out of here in no time.” 

The one solace Tony had in this ordeal was that he could see Peter. In fact, he was chained so he almost was forced to look at the teen. 

“Where’s ‘here’?” Peter’s curls waved back and fourth as he took in his surroundings. Doe-eyes found Tony’s again and relaxed against the glass of the tank, despite the uncomfortable way it seemed to pull against his shoulders. 

“I’m not sure, I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” 

_“That you will Mr.Stark.”_

The staticky voice made both mentor and mentee jump, blasting into their tanks from an external speaker, malicious and cunning. Tony’s fists clenched with the want to grab Peter. 

“So I’m assuming you’re the one responsible for our little predicament then?” Tony spoke before Peter had the chance to. They were both looking up, trying to find whatever camera was recording their movements. 

_“I am, yes. Do you like it?”_ It was a male voice, he sounded absolutely delighted at their situation. Tony knew then that this wasn’t about money or tech. 

“I’d like it a lot more if the kid and I were on the outside.” 

_“That is, unfortunately, impossible right now.”_

Peter shuddered, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. He didn’t know what was going to happen, but he knew it was bad. 

_“I want to play a game, Mr.Stark.”_ Tony resisted the urge to growl at the name, only Peter was really allowed to call him that. 

“If you’re going to try and be the villain, at least make up your own quirk Jigsaw.” 

_“I assure you, this will not disappoint.”_ Tony glanced at the kid, whose eyes were wide and alert, his muscles taut. It didn’t bode well. _“Above you, you will notice three buttons on both of your chambers. In a few moments both your tanks will begin to fill with water.”_

Tony’s whole body tensed with alarm. 

_“The green button will make your tank fill faster. The blue will make your counterpart’s fill faster. The red will stop your counterpart’s tank from filling. Once one is pushed it cannot be overridden by the opposite tank. Once one tank fills completely the other will automatically release after two minutes. Escape your cuffs and you can make the choice of who lives and who dies, don’t and you both die together.”_

The speaker crackled once more and the voice disappeared. 

“No! We aren’t doing this, you sick son of a-”

The water turned on. 

Tony had never felt such panic. Instantly, he was up, looking for a way to escape his handcuffs. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Peter doing the same. He knew what Peter would do, which is why he needed to get out of his cuffs faster. He was not going to watch his kid die. 

The water wasn’t too fast, steadily filling the tank without rushing in. 

Tony’s fingers desperately tore at everything and anything, looking for a pin he could use to unlock the handcuffs. If this guy was the kind of sociopath Tony pegged him for then he wouldn’t give them an impossible task. 

Peter was taking a different approach. Sure, the guy knew about his super strength, but that didn’t mean he fool-proofed the entire entrapment against him. The glass, reinforced. The cuffs, reinforced. The metal he was attached to? Steel. He could work with steel. 

The teenager drew his leg back and kicked at the loop of steel, and then did it again, and again, and again. And eventually, the metal began to bend. There was a metallic screech as the steel gave away, allowing Peter to slip his wrists away from the tether. 

Tony heard it too, his head snapped up with fearful eyes. 

Peter scrambled up, his eyes meeting his mentor’s terrified gaze. Tony could see the intent there. Peter broke the stare by tilting his head upwards and finding the glowing buttons.

“ _No!_ Peter, no! Look at me, _look at me Pete,_ ” Tony begged, frantically jerking at his cuffs. “Look at me Buddy.” The teen hesitantly turned away from his task and glanced backwards. “Don’t do this, you know what I want and this isn’t it.” 

The water was to Peter’s knees now, creeping up Tony’s chest as he kneeled. “I’m sorry,” Peter whispered, before he began to crawl upwards against the glass. 

“No! Peter! Stop!” The inventor renewed his struggles, though it had basically deteriorated into desperate floundering. The water around his handcuffs began to turn red from the bleeding in his wrists. He didn’t care. “Fuck!” 

Tony couldn’t live in a world without Peter Parker. He wouldn’t be able to live if he had to watch the kid die. 

He dove into the water, his chest inadvertently hitting his bound wrists. The handcuffs clicked open. 

Magnets. He’s such an idiot, the cuffs are powered by magnets. 

But he didn’t have time to dwell on that, not when Peter is too close to- 

The water stopped filling his tank. Tony scrambled to stand up. 

“Peter, _please_! I can’t do this without you, kid; you’re my world.” 

“The world needs Iron Man, and I need you to survive.” Peter looked up from his place on the top of the tank, he looked scared but accepting of his fate, and his eyes shone with the love he had in him. “I love you Mr.Stark.”

“Kid, kid, please, the world needs you more than me. I lived my life, I’m old, _don’t do this._ ” A sob ripped it’s way from Tony’s throat, guttural and raw. He urged Peter to save himself, “ _Please,_ push the blue one kid.” 

Peter didn’t want to see Mr.Stark cry, and he didn’t want Mr.Stark to see _him_ cry, so he turned away. He pressed the green button, his harbinger of death. Mr.Stark was screaming behind him, he couldn’t block out the noise of his cries. 

Tony slammed his fists against the glass, _Peter_ hadn’t been able to break it, but he still tried. 

The tank began to fill up with water at three times the speed it had been before. The water rose steadily from three new pumps, at a much higher pressure. When Peter lowered himself back to the bottom of the tank, he could hardly touch. 

“ _Peter,_ ” Mr.Stark cried. Wisps of blood streamed from his wrists and knuckles. 

The water rose past Peter’s mouth, an effective gag. The boy instead opted to put his hand flat against the glass, meeting the man’s gaze steadily. _I’m okay, this is okay._

Peter could swim, and he could float, but neither were quite so effective with his hands still being handcuffed together. 

He spasmed, legs kicking out uselessly against the water. 

“No, no! Please I can’t do this, I can’t watch him die,” Tony sobbed, begging God or their captor, or whoever was out there to save him. “I love him, please, you can’t take him away.” 

Peter fought against the water, but it was no use. He couldn’t gain any traction in the small space of the tank. He saw through blurred eyes Mr.Stark attacking the glass, his tears. Peter realized that watching Peter uselessly try and survive was probably more painful to the inventor than if just accepted his fate. So, despite the burn in his lungs, desperate for air, and the panic in his chest, the teenager relaxed. 

A stream of bubbles tickled his nose, and the hero fought no more. 

It was a strange sort of peace that took over him then, like he was breathing water but that didn’t really matter anymore. Nothing mattered, except these next few seconds of peace with Tony. He hoped Tony would be okay. 

Peter Parker lost consciousness. 

For Tony, there was no fate worse in the world. 

When Rhodey found them, hours later, he felt his heart shudder to a stop at the sight. The room was covered in shattered glass and sodden with water. Tony Stark sat with his back to the door, as if he didn’t care what came for him. In his arms, his protege, his _son,_ cradled close to the reactor. 

Tony was bleeding from _everywhere,_ little gashes littering his skin. He was rocking back and fourth. 

“Tony… what happened…?” The inventor flinched at his voice, rough from the lump in the colonel’s throat. 

“I got him out. I got him out. Why didn’t he wake up if I got him out? I promised we’d get out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that was me in an angsty mood if you hadn't noticed. XD Thank you so much for all your support, please consider leaving a comment or shooting me an ask on Tumblr, it means the world to mean and helps feed my muse. 
> 
> I hope you all have a wonderful day! 
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://day-dreamer176.tumblr.com)


	5. captivity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Tony Stark wakes up in an Afghanistan cave with a car battery in his chest he's met by two things, the sight of a man and the wailing of a baby. 
> 
> Or: Peter is an infant in the cave with Tony during his captivity.

Tony woke up to the worst pain he’d ever experienced. 

It was exploding from the inside of his chest and no matter what he did it was _agony_. There was a tube in his nose going down into his throat which burned like Hell whenever he jostled it. It hurt even more when he tried to remove it. 

The billionaire groaned as it slipped free, his eyes balled up in pain. He kind of missed the nose-tube pain; it was better than whatever the Hell was excruciatingly painful in his chest. 

His limbs refused to answer his commands, brokenly jerking at whatever they could try to clutch. Tony rolled over achingly, eyes focussing on movement to his left.

Was he in a cave? 

The movement he saw was a man, shaving. 

He was cold. 

And in pain. 

He tried to move again but something wrenched him back, it was attached to his chest, and it hurt. 

Everything hurt. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Tony was scared and he was in pain and he didn’t know who this guy was and if that was a threat. 

Tony rolled back over and- Oh my God. Holy shit. Was that a _car battery_? The billionaire’s breathing picked up erratically, his eyes widened. Desperate fingers clawed at the bindings around his chest, ripping them open to reveal a piece of metal embedded in his chest, attached to the car battery. 

His breathing was non-existent now, he was well past the point of hysteria. The man looked back at him casually. Somewhere further concealed in the cave, a baby cried. 

“What the Hell did you do to me,” Tony whispered. The baby was still crying, his eyes flickered towards the noise. “Why is there a kid here?” 

“What I did?” The man had an accent. “What I did was to save your life. I removed all the shrapnel I could, but there’s a lot there, it’s headed into your atrial septum.” So, he was dying. The man paused, picked up a glass vial. “Here, want to see? I have a souvenir. Take a look.” 

Tony glanced up at the offering, clanging with his death. The man tossed it at him, Tony caught it out of reflex more than anything else. The baby was still wailing. 

“As for the little one, I assume he was here with some dearly departed parents before they were killed by our lovely hosts.” 

“You should get it to stop crying, it’s giving me more of a headache than I already have.” 

The man hummed, regarded Tony with a curious look for a moment, and went back to his speech. “I’ve seen many wounds like that in my village; we call them the walking dead, because it takes about a week for the barbs to reach the vital organs.” 

“What is this?” 

“That, is an electromagnet, hooked up to a car battery, and it is keeping the shrapnel from entering your heart. Hm?” His companion was far too chipper and calm about whatever situation they found themselves in, especially when delivering news like that. 

Tony sat up, his eyes flickered to the camera in the corner. 

“That’s right,” the man seemed amused, “smile.” 

There was a pause, the baby’s cries still echoing around the cave. Tony didn’t know what possessed him to do it, but he grabbed his… car battery… and made his way towards the sounds. “Where’s the kid?” 

“On some blankets on that table there. I believe he is just under a year old.” 

Tony didn’t have experience with babies, he didn’t do the kissing-baby thing. But when he saw him on that table, tears streaming down his cheeks and far too little arms flailing, something inside him snapped. No, melted was the better word. 

“What’s his name,” he whispered. 

“I call him Peter,” the man replied. 

“Peter,” Tony repeated softly, letting the baby latch onto his finger gently. “Hi, little one… What’s your story?” 

Once Peter had caught Tony’s finger he was intent on not letting go, quieting immediately and holding as tightly as he could. “And what’s yours?” 

“Yinsen.” 

Before Tony could muster the strength to pick the baby up footsteps and shouting sounded from behind the big metal door that probably separated their cell from the rest of this place. Yinsen rushed towards him, pulling him away from Peter and towards the door. 

“Do as I do,” he commanded, putting his hands onto his head. “Come on, put your hands up.” 

Tony barely had time to obey before they were bursting in, all wielding _Stark Industries’_ guns.

“Those are my guns,” he said, hints of panic seeping into his voice. “How did they get my guns?” 

“Do you understand me?” Yinsen spoke in a hiss. “Do as I do.” Tony quieted, listening to the leader speak his piece before looking at Yinsen questioningly. “He says, “Welcome Tony Stark, the most famous mass-murderer in the history of America.” He is honoured.” 

Tony had been afraid, and in pain, and confused before. Now, he was terrified. Yinsen continued, “He wants you to build the missile, the Jericho missile that you demonstrated.” The leader held out the photo, but Tony already knew what it looked like. “This one.” 

He would not let more weapons fall into the hands of these terrorists. 

“I refuse.” 

There was more pain after that. Pain, and the feeling of water filling his lungs, the sound of his own screams under the water, and the desperation of a dying man, that would haunt him for the rest of his life. 

When he was deposited back in his cell it was to the sound of the crying baby. 

“Give him to me,” Tony breathed. It surprised him as much as it did Yinsen. 

“I did not take you to be a family man, Stark.” 

“I’m not, I just want to hold him, take my mind off the brutal torture and all.” 

“Very well.” Yinsen transferred the child into his waiting arms. Once again, Peter quieted almost immediately, sucking gently on his thumb. Tony felt something swell in his chest at the sight, something that was mostly foreign. “He likes you.” 

“How naive of him.” 

But with Peter sleeping on his chest, and Yinsen turned the other way, Tony let himself realize that he was falling in love with his newfound little one. 

…

Tony Stark was, as usual, right. 

That little bundle of blankets quickly became _his_ bundle of blankets. He couldn’t sleep unless Peter was right next to him, and vice versa. The arc reactor was created, and it didn’t hurt so much to put Pete against his chest. 

When it came time to take a break from the work, they took turns giving Peter the bottles of milk provided. The baby was still far too small for Tony’s liking though. 

He started planning his escape. It was considerably harder when he had Peter to think about. Yinsen thought the change was good for him, and they too became closer. 

He told Tony about his village, his family, his desire to be with them again. Tony glanced at Peter and understood. 

One day, while they were working, not on a missile but on a suit, their captors barged in unceremoniously. Tony and Yinsen dropped what they were doing and put their hands on their heads, watching warily as the predator stalked its prey. 

Tony hated the man’s presence but he’d rather have the attention than Peter or Yinsen. But then he’d turned and forced Yinsen on his knees and was holding a red hot piece of metal and men were reaching for Peter and Tony had never felt such _terror_. 

“Stop!” The word ripped out of his throat on its own accord, startling every occupant in the room. Tony took a few calming breaths as all the guns trained on him and collected his moment of peace. “I need him, he’s a good assistant. And you don’t want the kid, he’ll just annoy you.” 

The leader may not have believed him, but he let them both go, and that’s all Tony could ask for. 

His heart pounded against his throat, his blood slowly thawed. 

He watched as the man cast his eyes on all three occupants of the room and smirked. Tony knew then that they were going to have to get away _soon,_ or else this man would try and take them again.

And if he lost them he didn’t know what he would do. 

…

Yinsen tucked the baby against his chest and ran like his life depended on it, because it did. Inside the tin can Tony desperately hoped would be their saviour, Tony Stark watched on with an overwhelming need to protect. 

So he lived up to his name, _Tony Stark, murderer_ , and did his fucking best to get them out of there. 

He’s not quite prepared for what it costs. 

He gets to the end of the tunnel, he can see the light leading to freedom, but his friend is trapped under a weight and bleeding and shouting, “Watch out!” 

Tony narrowly dodged the projectile, retaliating with a small missile of his own and watching as the man went down with the flames. The sand bag was easily thrown away from Yinsen’s chest, but the man didn’t move. 

“Stark,” he breathes, and he sounds much too weak for Tony’s liking. 

“Come on,” the inventor urges, “we gotta go.” Yinsen stays down. “Move for me, c’mon, we got a plan, we’re gonna stick with it.” Tony feels panic raising up in his chest. 

“This was always the plan, Stark.” _No. No, no, no no, no._ “Take him.” Yinsen’s eyes found a place behind his death bed, covered and protected from harm. Peter was wailing, Tony wondered why he hadn’t heard it before. 

“Come on, you’re gonna go see your family,” Tony begged, “Get up.” 

“My family is dead.” Something in the mechanic’s heart snapped. “I’m going to see them now, Stark.” Yinsen took a few deep breaths, Tony didn’t think he could breathe if he wanted to. “It’s okay, it’s alright, I want this.” 

The tears found their way down Tony’s cheeks on their own accord. 

“Thank you for saving me.” He didn’t know what else to say. “And thank you for giving me him.” 

Yinsen’s mouth twitched up into the semblance of a grin. “You have something now, Stark, to live for… don’t waste your life.” 

And he was gone. 

Tony went numb. Suspended in something he supposed was grief he cradled the infant to his chest, tucked him into the specially protective pouch on the inside of his chest plate, and launched his way to freedom. 

Guns fired at him but had no effect; here he was immortal. Here, he was the God of Death. The bullets paused, the world waited for his next move. 

“My turn.” 

He burned them all to the ground. 

And then he was flying, distantly, he remembered he needed to do something important. When he saw the sand approaching he remembered with desperate certainty. He flipped backwards, making sure his back took the impact and not the precious bundle against his chest. Peter still cried, and later Tony would discover sustained a cut along his forehead that would scar permanently. 

But they were both alive, and Tony was so _grateful._

He wrapped Peter in the canvas bag he had, fully aware that in doing so Tony was risking himself succumbing to heat stroke much faster. He rather it be him than Pete. 

And he walked, and walked, and walked, and when he didn’t think his legs could carry him anymore he walked some more. Because every step brought him closer to safety, to a world where Peter would live and not die of starvation or heat exposure in this barren dessert. 

His shoulders were agonized with burns, as was his face and arms. Peter hadn’t quieted for hours and Tony knew with guilt in his heart that he was in pain too. 

He walked and walked and walked and walked. 

And then a helicopter flew overtop him and Tony felt his first flutter of _joy_ and _hope_ in three months. He didn’t know if he had the strength to shout but he tried, waving his free arm frantically in hopes of getting their attention. 

When they turned back and started to land Tony collapsed to his knees, shielding Peter from the sand while sobbing with joy. 

There were no more words for Tony, not even when Rhodey reached him and pulled him into a hug. He looked up at his friend, saw his friend's inquisitive look at his bundle, and slowly revealed his treasure. 

“Tony, is that a-”

“Baby,” he mumbled incoherently. “Is’ a baby Rhodey, nee’ to get t’ safe…” 

“Yeah, you’re both safe now, Tony. You’re both safe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's number five in my bingo board, the first line! Please tell me what you thought of this chapter, and thanks so much for reading. 
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://day-dreamer176.tumblr.com)


	6. merfolk au

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boy let out a terrified scream as he was yanked back, desperately trying to move a tail that wouldn’t move anymore. He’d never had his tail restrained before, it was terrible and it only added to the boy’s panic. 
> 
> “Mr.Stark!” Peter was being pulled away from his guardian too quickly, Mr.Stark wasn’t going to be able to catch him, but still he screamed for him. “Mr.Stark, please!” 
> 
> Tony was not going to lose his family all over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thanks for coming to check this chapter out, it's actually the longest irondad prompt I've done thus far. I also really enjoyed it and might be open to making a series or a full fic for this au! 
> 
> Please enjoy and have the best day you can!

The water rippled with anticipation as the young merman approached the surface. He wanted to break the glass, press upwards and destroy the resistance, bridge the two worlds of Above and Below. 

His fingers stretched till they tickled the surface before hastily retracting. His eyes adjusted to the sun, it was so much brighter up there than Below. He wanted to feel warmth, true warmth, unlike the kind below the water, but he couldn’t. 

Above was forbidden. 

Peter flipped over in the water, letting his tail scrape the edge, he’d yet to ever pierce the surface. 

The youngling had to go soon, Tony was expecting him and he couldn’t risk staying still for too long and letting a human spot him. 

The waters around him were turquoise blue and perfectly crystal, and while Peter did love to admire its beauty, staying too close to the surface was dangerous because even human eyes could see to a certain degree under the water. 

He wished that Above wasn’t so infested with humans, Peter hated them; humans killed his parents, they murdered them in cold blood. 

That’s why he lived with Tony now, the Royal Prince of Innovation had found him as an infant and taken him in. He’d basically grown up with the Prince as his father, but he didn’t call him that (sometimes he wished he did). 

Tony Stark was aloof, as far as mermen go. He didn’t like going out for grand parties and celebrations like the other royals did. Peter knew that at some point in his past he did, but not anymore. Now, he kept to himself, making new inventions for the kingdom and trying to stay out of the public’s eye. 

As far as guardians go though, Mr.Stark was great; he did his best and always had, he didn’t really show conventional affection but he always made sure Peter knew that he was looking out for him and that he had worth. It was just… when your mate dies it can be hard to find love again, of any kind, even for a child. Peter understood. 

Ms.Potts was killed by humans too. 

Peter dove downwards, leaving the surface and its mysteries behind him. 

…

“Hi, Mr.Stark,” Peter called as he entered their dwelling, casually slipping himself into the lab. “Sorry, I’m late, I got caught up in something.” 

He found the Prince where he always found him, bent over a lab bench, slaving over his newest project. The room was brightly lit, made completely of sandstone and equipped with all the latests innovations. (Peter knew it was nothing like the brightness of the sun.) Tony’s red-scaled tail still glimmered, casting iridescent threads of light over the lab. The blue mechanical scales he’d developed for himself glowed brightly against the glimmering tones of red.

“Where were you ‘getting caught up in something’ kid?” The inventor didn’t look up from his newest invention but Peter knew he could feel the vibrations in the water, giving his position in the lab away. 

“I was out exploring, same as always.” 

“Wandering around the borders doesn’t count as exploring, Peter.” His voice was stern but the youngling knew Mr.Stark was hiding a grin. 

“It does if I’ve never been there before,” Peter retorted, grinning cheekily. He swished over to the lab bench, peering over his guardian’s shoulder. “Whatcha working on?”

Tony grunted, “improved formula for the structural regeneration compound we developed last year.” 

Frowning, Peter looked over his notes. “Does it not work?” 

“Oh no, it works, but apparently the regeneration is taking longer than expected.” Tony rolled his eyes, Peter smirked. 

“They do know it would take double the amount of time without the _current_ formula right?” 

“Of course they do, but ‘everything can be improved upon,’” Tony quoted, pretending to gag. “It’s not like I’ve got problems of my own, like rearing a foolhardy youngling for one.” 

“Hey,” Peter protested, “it’s just a stupid technicality that I’m still considered a youngling, the Age of Maturity should really be 80, not 85. Like really, what’s up with that?” 

“Ask Howard, kid, maybe he’ll do something about it. Also, that’s what you’re arguing? Your age and not the foolhardiness?” 

“Well I mean, there’s salient evidence for that one, so as a scientist I cannot dispute it.” Tony almost let himself grin, the corners of his lip twitching in amusement. “Besides,” the kid grumbled, “Howard doesn’t like me.” 

Tony stilled, casting a glance at his ward. “He doesn’t like me much either, kid, don’t worry about it.” 

“I wish my tail looked more like yours,” Peter mumbled, flicking himself away from the bench to float just above Tony’s head. “Yours is so beautiful.” 

“You don’t want your tail to be like mine,” Tony bit, “they’re damaged.” Tony had completely abandoned the project at this point, angling himself completely at his ward. 

Peter wouldn’t meet his eyes, already regretting his words. He hated reminding Mr.Stark of the attack that had claimed his mate and the functionality of about 40% of his scales and therefore tail. 

“I didn’t mean it like that,” the boy whispered, “it’s just - I don’t know - Howard sees my tail and I think it reminds him I’m not supposed to be here.” 

Peter’s tail alternated blue and red every other scale; blue from his birth parents and red from Tony. Adopted children were easy to pick out in Below, since scales developed their colour half from upbringing and half from the merfolk’s bloodline. 

“I went my whole life trying to make Howard happy Peter,” Tony muttered, “I don’t want you wasting yours caring what he thinks. You belong here because I said so.” 

Peter nodded stiffly and bid his guardian goodbye, gently swimming away. 

Once he was sure Peter’s vibrations had faded Tony banged his hands against his workbench angrily. Peter deserved so much better than Tony had ever given him and - _fuck_ \- he was trying but he didn’t know what to do to _make_ himself show Peter how much he loved him. 

_“You belong here because you’re my son”_ was what he should’ve- _wanted_ to say. 

…

Peter moved languidly through the water, lost in his thoughts. He felt the ripples of the other residents of the palace as they moved around him, no one giving him a second glance. It was basically an unspoken rule that every one should ignore the Prince’s whelp. 

That’s why Peter wasn’t expecting something to collide into his path. Or not something, _someone_. 

“Oh, I, uh, I’m sorry!” The youngling squeaked, head whipping up to see who he’d knocked into. And of course, because Peter Luck, it was Howard Stark; King of Below. “Your Majesty!” Peter fell into a bow. “My most sincere apologies.” 

“Oh, it’s you, boy,” Howard sneered, making no effort to hide his displeasure at the youngling’s presence. “I haven’t seen you around lately, you’ve grown.” 

Howard hadn’t seen Peter since he was 80, Peter was 83 now. To be fair, Peter avoided the king just as much as the king despised him. 

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Peter whispered. 

“It wasn’t necessarily a compliment.” Peter stayed silent, his head bowed. He flinched when Howard’s arm wrapped itself around his shoulder. “I’m just joking, smile a bit. You have, after all, been under my son’s wing for… what? Seventy years now?” 

“Seventy-five, my lord.” 

“Yes…” Howard started moving again, dragging Peter with him. “He’s had you for quite some time now.” 

“He’s the only parent I’ve ever known, sire.” 

The pair abruptly stopped. Peter’s breath hitched. 

“He’s not your parent, boy.” Peter grimaced as the king tightened his grip uncomfortably around his shoulders. “He may have taken you in like a stray but he is not your father. Just because he was mourning his mate and the unborn whelp in her womb and decided to do something stupid like keep you does not make you _family_ , you do not belong here and you are most certainly _no heir of mine,_ ” Howard hissed. 

Peter nodded quickly, trying to control the tears spilling from his eyes. 

“Now leave me,” Howard commanded, “I grow bored of your presence.” 

Peter didn’t hesitate to obey. Howard’s words stayed with him though, and not only his cruel remarks aimed at the youngling but _“the unborn whelp in her womb…”_ Mr.Stark had never told Peter Ms.Potts was with child when she was lost. 

… 

“Peter,” Mr.Stark’s voice made Peter flinch in surprise. 

Mr.Stark never came to Peter’s room, what was going on? It was Peter’s little sanctuary, he spent a majority of his time either here, in the lab, or out watching the surface. It was turquoise like the water near Above, and large enough for whatever Peter may want, filled with equipment for various hobbies. 

“Sir?” Peter surveyed his guardian for any hints that something may be wrong. “Was there something you needed?” 

“You weren’t at midday meal, kid, I wondered where you were,” Tony answered. The prince swam past the entrance and further into his chambers, taking the seat next to his ward. He could see it unsettled the youngling to see his guardian here and felt his heart clench.

“I-I just got distracted and lost track of time. I’m sorry.” 

“It’s alright, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.” 

Peter eyed his guardian warily, thoroughly confused and still shaken from his encounter with the king. 

“I’m okay,” the boy swallowed. Tony’s eyes flickered to what he was working on and flashed his eyes with recognition. 

“Got caught up in drawing?” He asked warmly, shuffling through some of the papyrus drawings strewn about Peter’s desk. 

“Yes,” Peter murmured, turning his head away from his guardian. 

Tony looked through a few more of the drawings, admiring Peter’s talent for realism, when he noticed something in one of them. The Prince felt his blood turn to ice in his veins. 

“Peter,” his voice was suddenly tight, Peter looked at him worriedly, glancing at the revealing drawing. “What is this?” 

Peter’s mouth dropped as if to answer, but Tony cut him off before he got the chance. 

“Because it looks like _those_ are sun-etchings, and _that_ looks the surface line.” 

There was nothing Peter could say to dispute the claims. The lines the sun made underwater, the so called sun-etchings were there, plain as day, as was the line where the surface split a rock into two worlds. And for someone to see those two things they had to be _exceptionally_ close to Above. 

“I’ve never touched Above, I swear,” Peter rushed. 

Mr.Stark’s eyes flashed, “ _Peter,_ ” he hissed. “You know the law.” 

“I just said that I’ve never-”

“Our border ends at the Line of Visibility!” 

“I was just curious-”

“No. _No_ , I do not want to hear your excuses right now. You could be _whipped_ for this.” 

“You’re going to tell Howard?” Peter’s breathing picked up, panic creeping into his heart. His gills fluttered frantically, tellingly. 

“You think I would tell Howard about this? Poseidon Peter, no, I’m not going to tell Howard. But this is serious, what possessed you to even think about going up there? Humans could have seen you, you could have been _killed._ ” 

“Don’t you want to know what the sun feels like? Don’t you think it’s beautiful?” Peter was desperate for Tony to agree with him, empathize with him, something. He couldn’t handle another reminder that he was the freak of them all here.

“No,” Tony hissed, “I don’t care what it looks or feels like up there, and from this day on neither do you.” 

“Mr.Stark, _please,_ ” Peter begged, his eyes growing wide with desperation. 

“No,” Tony roared. Peter flinched and a stab of guilt drove through the inventor’s gut, he took a few breaths and lowered his voice. “No. Consider this your one and only warning, you are not to go anywhere near Above again, I am not losing another-”

“Another what?” Peter found his anger and cut his guardian off. “I know I was meant to be some kind of replacement but that obviously didn’t work out, so what am I?” 

His words shocked Tony into silence, his mouth gaping open. “Peter - what?” 

“I know that Ms.Potts was going to have a baby, but she… and then you found me and I was what? Some kind of second prize? Supposed to replace what you lost? And then you obviously figured out that I wasn’t the son you wanted so you just - I don’t know - figured you’d keep me around until I reached the Age and your obligations would be finished?” 

“ _No_ Peter, that’s not-”

“Would you have kept me if you hadn’t just lost your own family?” 

“I…” Tony wanted to deny everything, grab Peter and hold him as tight as possible, and express years of love to him right there. But he didn’t. He stayed silent, searching for words that wouldn’t come. 

“That’s what I thought.” Peter’s voice cut through his heart. 

Before Mr.Stark could stop him Peter had launched away from his desk and slipped through his window, swimming away with powerful tail-strokes, leaving naught but bubbles in his frantic guardian’s wake. 

…

Tony had gone after Peter as soon as he’d snapped out of his stupor, but even that minuscule amount of time was enough to give Peter enough of a head start that the Prince had to guess where he’d gone. 

And shamefully he admitted he had almost no clue until it occurred to him that Peter might have gone back to the origin of this entire debacle, Above. He clutched the drawing close to his chest and swam upwards, looking for that specific rock formation. 

The inventor could _feel_ the moment he passed through the Line of Visibility, like a cord had been cut and he was left vulnerable and scared and too close to Above. 

_“Tony!” His wife’s voice, screaming in panic, scrambling for a hold on his arm._

_“Pepper get back!”_

_He was in the human contraption, the net, it was tearing at his scales and it hurt, it hurt so much, it was excruciating._

_Pepper’s hand caught his and his mind cleared, replaced with all-consuming fear as she put herself in harm’s way. She was trying to tear the net with her fingers, her green tail spasming with the effort._

_“Pepper, no! Get back! Swim-!”_

_She gasped, and for a second everything was still okay, and then the water started to turn red. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her grip was suddenly lax in Tony’s._

_“No, no, no, no, Pep. Pep come on, you’re okay, you’re okay, right? Tell me you’re okay - TELL ME YOU’RE OKAY.”_

_But she wasn’t, they killed her, they killed his wife; speared her in the back mercilessly, like she was some kind of animal, like she wasn’t his whole heart and didn’t have his child-_

Tony returned to himself with a gasp, dilated eyes focussing on his surroundings. He’d been dreaming of that day for seventy-nine years now, but they’d morphed in the past seventy to include Peter, his _son_. 

Who he needed to find, _right now._

Tony felt the weight of the world lift off his shoulders when he spotted Peter’s tell-tail red and blue scales reflecting in the water. 

“Peter!” The kid looked up from his place on the sandy ocean floor, where he was laying and watching the surface ripple. There was no sun today, but it wasn’t nighttime for the humans either. A steep drop-off was a few metres to his left, Tony wanted desperately to pull him down it and past the Line of Visibility again. 

Instead he bit back his fear and approached the youngling, setting himself beside him against the sand. 

“You scared me kid,” he breathed. 

“Sorry,” Peter mumbled, not turning to face Tony. “You can’t tell me it isn’t beautiful,” he whispered. “Look at it.” 

Tony looked. 

It was beautiful, unlike anything you could find in Below, and he remembered why he and Pepper had been so close to the surface that day. 

“You’re right.” Peter, who was expecting more arguing, whipped his head to look at Tony. “I’m sorry for how I reacted, Pete, I just-”

“What’s that?” 

Peter was looking over his shoulder, at something behind him. The youngling sat up and began swimming over to it curiously. Tony glanced backwards and felt panic unlike any he’d felt in seventy-nine years. 

The looming mass of darkness was a ship. 

Tony shot off after his kid, a desperate shout escaping his throat. “Peter, no!” 

Maybe it was his tone, or the volume, but Peter listened. He stopped and turned toward Tony just as the net was launched at him. 

Tony remembered the pain of his scales being ripped away from his tail, Peter could _not_ feel that pain. He reached the youngling just in time, wrapping his arms around his chest and forcing him away from the net with his body. He panted with exertion, throwing a glance upwards at the ship. 

They were too high up, the humans could see them. “Let’s go kid, we need to swim.” 

Peter nodded, flicking his tail anxiously. Guardian and ward sat up and started to escape by keeping as flat to the ocean floor as they could, but the net came back persistently, and this time Mr.Stark couldn’t save Peter from it. 

The boy let out a terrified scream as he was yanked back, desperately trying to move a tail that wouldn’t move anymore. He’d never had his tail restrained before, it was terrible and it only added to the boy’s panic. 

“Mr.Stark!” Peter was being pulled away from his guardian too quickly, Mr.Stark wasn’t going to be able to catch him, but still he screamed for him. “Mr.Stark, please!” 

“I’m coming, kid, I’m coming,” Mr.Stark called back, and Peter could see how hard Mr.Stark was swimming, but it wasn’t going to be enough. 

Tony was not going to lose his family all over again. 

He reached the net just as they pulled Peter from out of the water. 

“No!” 

Peter struggled in the net, floundering and tangling himself further in its snare. There was no water, everything dropped so heavily and he couldn’t _breathe,_ his gills were desperately searching for oxygen that they couldn’t get. He couldn’t float, and everything was sticking to him. 

He hit the deck with an impact unlike he’d ever felt before. It was coarse and itchy and something he didn’t know the word for but it _hurt_ because there was no water. 

The net was ripped away and with it a few of Peter’s scales, he bit back the cry that threatened to escape and tried desperately to get back into the water. 

Ropes circled his wrists and pulled them together, and soon his fin was in a similar position, the men yelling things Peter couldn’t understand. His heart pounding in his ears and he _couldn’t breathe._

He wanted Mr.Stark. 

He was going to die. 

Tony burst from the water in a jump unlike any Peter had seen in his life. He’d once watched dolphins breach the surface, Mr.Stark resembled them except with much more power, and he was infinitely more graceful. 

His guardian landed on the deck amongst the startled shouts of the men, baring his teeth at them while slicing at Peter’s bindings. Peter had the startling realization that the makeshift dagger he used were made of _his mechanical scales_. He’d pulled them away from his tail and pressed them together into the sharp shape. 

His face betrayed none of the no doubt excruciating agony he must be feeling right now. 

Peter felt himself be released and bolted to the ship’s edge as well as he could. There was an opening he thought he might be able to fit through but Mr.Stark was still- and the humans were closing in and they had weapons… 

“ _Peter, go,_ ” Mr.Stark screamed, desperation tinging his voice. “Go! Swim!” 

“Mr.Stark, no! I can’t!” 

Something flashed through Peter’s vision, Tony saw it. He remembered what it was, what it _did._  
 **No.**

**He launched himself at Peter, pushing him away and closer to the ship’s opening.**

**The spear ripped through Tony’s side.**

**Peter screamed.**

**The thing is, merfolk’s voices aren’t meant for humans to understand. It sounds otherworldly to them, screeching if they’re in distress and melodious if they’re just talking. A merfolk’s scream? Humans can’t handle it at all.**

**Some of the men gasped, holding their heads in pain as their ears bled. Some fell to the deck, dead.**

**It was enough to give the mermen enough of a reprieve to slip through the opening. Peter clasped his hands around his guardian and pulled them both through the hole, gasping in relief as gravity carried them back into the water.**

**Peter grabbed his father’s hand and swam until he couldn’t swim anymore, until he was completely shrouded in the darkness of Below.**

**“Mr.Stark?” The boy tentatively tried, his eyes adjusting to the darkness of the abyss. “Please say something, Mr.Stark…”**

**A ribbon of blood was trailing out of his guardian’s side, along with countless threads from where his mechanical scales had been ripped away.**

**Mr.Stark groggily blinked his eyes, to Peter’s relief. “Pe-Peter, you’re okay?”**

**Peter nodded, a lump forming in his throat. Mr.Stark smiled, bringing a hand up to Peter’s cheek. “Tha’s good, tha’s all I wanted…” His eyes drifted shut.**

**“No,” Peter encouraged, grabbing his hand and pulling him along again, sure that he could get them to the medical wing in time for his guardian to be saved. “No, stay awake with me Mr.Stark. We’ll get you help.”**

**“Pet’r,” Tony mumbled, “Pet’r I hav’ t’ tell you, I love you, so, so much. You _are_ my son. ‘m sorry I was so bad a’ showin’ you.”**

**Tears flowed unbidden from the younglings eyes, his words stolen to make room for his sobs. “I love you too Mr.Stark, please stay with me.”**

**Tony nodded his head bonelessly. “I’ll try Pete, wha’ever you want.”**

**…**

**“Peter.” Peter looked up from his desk, where he’d listlessly been sketching for hours. “Get up.”**

**“I don’t feel like doing anything,” he muttered. “I just want to stay here.”**

**“You’ll enjoy this.”**

**“ _No,_ I don’t want to go anywhere.”**

**“You’ve been cooped up in the palace for three months, you need to get out.”**

**“I said I _don’t want_ to.” **

**“I’m your father, so unfortunately kid, I get the last say this time.”**

**Peter’s eyes immediately found the still red scar along Tony’s torso, which was there _because of Peter._ **

**“I don’t want to do anything.”**

**“Tough luck this time Pete, because we’re doing this. It’s time you got out of the palace.”**

**Of course Tony knew the real reason Peter didn’t want to leave the palace. He knew that his anxiety would increase tenfold whenever he tried, thanks to their little ordeal with the ship. But it wasn’t healthy to let that fester without any healing, he should know. He didn’t want Peter to become like him.**

**Peter relented, nodding minutely at his guardian and swimming gently towards him. Again, Peter’s eyes found the scar, and then the small scales that had been replaced. He couldn’t see them anymore without thinking about the ship.**

**“Close your eyes,” Tony murmured into his ear. “Trust me.”**

**Peter complied, letting the prince slip a blindfold over his eyes and lead him towards their destination. He felt when they left his sanctuary, his gills fluttered in protest. Tony rubbed circles on his back comfortingly until he calmed down and they kept going.**

**It seemed like hours before they stopped and Tony removed the blindfold, keeping a gentle grip on Peter as he did.**

**Peter soon found out why, because when the blindfold was off his eyes automatically adjusted to how _bright_ it was, and it was bright because-**

**“No, no, no Mr.Stark I don’t want to be here, I want to go home.” They were near the surface.**

**“Hey, hey, it’s alright,” Tony hummed into his ear, pulling him into an embrace. “It’s okay.”**

**“No. No, we need to go, the humans-”**

**“Can’t find us here.” Tony smiled, watching as Peter’s eyes darted around suspiciously. “It’s a cavern Pete, the top of it is open so we can see the sun, but to humans it just looks like a lot of rocks.”**

**This calmed Peter, slightly.**

**“W-why are we here,” he asked quietly, “I thought you said-”**

**“We aren’t making a habit out of this, but I think this is what we both need. Look Pete,” he pointed to a particularly bright spot, streaming through the water. Tony gently guided Peter closer to the surface. “Want to feel the sun?”**

**Peter’s eyes widened, his head whipping towards his guardian in shock. Part of him desperately wanted to say yes, parted of him wanted to leave right now and go back as far Below as possible.**

**His fingers hesitantly reached for the water line, stretching till they tickled the surface before hastily retracting.**

**“No, I don’t want to feel the sun anymore.”**

**Tony took his hand softly and guided it towards the surface. “It’s okay Peter.”**

**Peter held his breath, letting Tony bring their fingers to the edge of the water.**

**The inventor left them there, the final decision left to Peter.**

**Together they felt the sunlight.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ngl this was an awesome chapter to write, I had so much fun and I'm really proud of it. I hope you all liked it as much as I enjoyed writing it. 
> 
> perhaps;... you could leave a comment telling me what you thought of it? :D 
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://day-dreamer176.tumblr.com)


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